


Mirror Image

by enigmaticblue



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-30
Updated: 2010-03-30
Packaged: 2017-10-08 12:53:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/75820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A happy little ficlet set in the distant future. Which future? Well, you'll just have to decide that for yourself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mirror Image

Buffy stood in the doorway, listening to Spike’s low voice singing a long-forgotten song. She might have taken issue with the words he sung, except that it seemed to soothe their daughter. Besides, because there were things she did to remember her mother; she understood that Spike would want to do the same.

He put the infant back in her crib, careful not to disturb her slumber. Buffy was always amazed at how gentle his hands could be, because those hands were capable of such great violence. When the baby stirred, Spike began singing softly again. “Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I heard a maid singing in the valley below.”

Glancing up at her, Spike gave her a half smile as he finished out the verse—long enough for Joy to settle back down.

She waited for him to join her by the doorway. “Is that really an appropriate song?”

Spike’s eyebrow went up. “My mum sang that to me, I’ll have you know. Look how I turned out.”

She snorted. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“You haven’t complained.”

“No, I haven’t.” Her kiss made it clear that she had no complaints whatsoever. “And I know your mom sang it to you, but it’s about a broken heart.”

“An’ if any man leaves Joy’s heart broken, he’ll get broken.”

“Mmm.” Buffy didn’t bother responding; she’d had this conversation with Spike several times, ever since they found out it was going to be a girl. He’d immediately started to talk about how he was going to make sure her virtue stayed intact. “Well, it’s pretty.”

“Yeah.”

She sensed his change in mood and pulled him down the hall towards their bedroom. “Come on.”

Spike paused at the doorway. “You sure you’re okay for this, luv?”

Not allowing him to stop, Buffy kept tugging. “I’m fine, honey.”

“You were pretty banged up yesterday.”

“This is today. Slayer healing is a wonderful thing.” She pushed him down on the bed, fully expecting another protest. He was always cautious with her after she’d been injured, remembering all the times when they’d hurt each other.

Spike’s eyes were still troubled. “I know that bruise wasn’t gone this morning, Buffy.”

“Then you’ll just have to let me be on top.”

His eyes lit up. “I think we can do that.”

Buffy straddled his waist, resting her hands on his shoulders. She could feel his muscles, like steel cords. He actually had to work at it now, not that either of them minded. Working out together was just as enjoyable as anything else done as a couple. It was hard for her to believe they’d been together three years now—three years since she’d walked into the alley to see the two vampires she had loved standing in the middle of the carnage.

She wished now that she’d had a camera, to capture the expression of stunned joy on Spike’s face when she’d walked past Angel into his arms. It had been even better when he realized that she knew that they were both human—or something like it—and she’d still chosen him.

Buffy would never let him forget that he’d been so stunned it had taken him a full thirty seconds to respond to her kiss.

It didn’t take him any time at all now; his hands gripped her around the middle, strong and gentle. Spike’s eyes darkened, the blue deepening. “I love you.”

“I know,” she replied with a smile. “I love you, too.”

The rhythm of love was so different, and yet so similar to their old animosity. There was less pain, of course, and more tenderness; it was easier to look each other in the eyes at the end of the day, and easier to speak honestly.

These days, they were so in tune that Willow had joked that they were mirror images of one another. Not that they didn’t still fight, but it happened a lot less often these days.

Most of their clothes had been scattered around the room, and they were engaging in the same activities that had resulted in Joyce, when she started crying again.

“Oh, no,” Buffy muttered, resting her head on Spike’s shoulder.

He pulled her closer. “I’ll go.”

“You went last time.”

“I don’t mind.” He gave her a hard kiss. “I’ll bring her back with me.”

Buffy wondered if being a mother meant that she would be frustrated until Joy was grown and out of the house. She flopped back on the bed and sighed. Although she was grateful that Spike was such an attentive father, her needs weren’t quite being met at the moment.

He came back into the room a moment later with Joy in his arms. Spike could still read her like a book, and he offered an apologetic smile. “I promise you’ll get taken care of later, luv. I’ll call Dawn in the morning; we could use a few hours to ourselves.”

“More than a few,” Buffy muttered, but she willingly took Joy from his hands. Her infant quickly latched on to her bared breast, and she felt Spike slip an arm around her; he never seemed to tire of watching her feed their daughter.

“A whole day,” he replied. “Saturday. Dawn won’t mind.”

“You mean that you’ll bribe her.”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“I doubt it.”

He gathered her closer, and Buffy felt his lips press against her cheek as she smiled. In spite of her earlier frustration, she knew that she wouldn’t change a thing.


End file.
